An image of potholes on a road is being widely shared on social media with a caption suggesting that it is of the current situation of Kerala roads.
Many social media users are sharing the image, linking it with the Govindchaami arrest case.
Govindachami, convicted in the 2011 Soumya rape‑murder case, escaped from the high‑security central jail in Kannur on July 25. He was recaptured within hours, hiding in a derelict building. Four prison officers were suspended over security lapses.
After the arrest, many are claiming that the potholes in the road helped catch the criminal, mentioning Minister for Public Works Department and Tourism under the Government of Kerala, PA Mohammed Riyas.
A social media user shared the image and wrote, “Charlie Thomas, who escaped from jail, fell into a pothole on the American-model road built by Riyasik and got caught. Now, no one should blame the government; it’s to prevent criminals from escaping smoothly that Riyasik builds such roads.” (Translated from Malayalam)
SouthCheck found that the claim is false. The viral image is at least 10 years old.
On a Google reverse image search, we found that the same image was shared by a Facebook user on September 4, 2014, with a caption that reads, “Newly designed roads for kerala by NHAI @ kundanoor junction, ernakulam....feeling pitty for those who r ruling this city... (sic)”
The image is also shared by a website, team-bhp.com, on September 5, 2014, with a caption that reads, “Well, this is the National Highway, Kundanoor Junction. Expect traffic as long as 2-3 km during peak hours. Clicked during hartal so it was empty. This was the traffic couple of days back. Image Courtesy - Local newspaper.”
Another panoramic view of the same area was shared below. This image is a newspaper clipping showcasing the poor condition of the National Highway, Kundanoor Junction.
Another Facebook page, Kerala-Kochi, shared the image with a caption suggesting that the image is of the Kundanoor junction and the image is of September 4, 2014.
Taking a hint, we searched for the Kundanoor junction national highway on Google Maps. We can see that the petrol pump seen on the right side of the viral image is also visible on Google Maps. This meant that the viral image is of the Kundanoor junction road.
We further found a report published by Mathrubhumi on December 17, 2022. According to the report, the Central government approved the Angamaly–Kundannoor bypass in December 2022, and the project’s primary alignment is complete. This 44-47 km greenfield, six‑lane NH corridor will bypass Kochi, easing congestion on NH‑544 and NH‑66.
Moreover, SouthCheck contacted Sanish, who is running a MILMA, a milk booth at Kundannoor Junction for over 30 years. According to his statement, “This photo looks at least ten years old. Kundannoor Junction had been in such a poor condition for a long time. But before Covid, the road here was tarred and fixed properly. After that, the national highway development came through. As part of that, the overpass has now been constructed. The condition shown in the circulated picture no longer exists. However, when water flows off the highway overpass into the service road, it often causes traffic snarls in this area.”
Hence, we can ascertain that the viral claim is false.
